A seat belt system typically has at one end a buckle secured to an anchor, another end with a retraction mechanism and a strap which is fed from the retraction mechanism, folds over the passenger, and is engaged by a locking mechanism of the buckle. The buckle is secured to the anchor by one or two cables. The cables are received and retained in recesses in the seat belt anchor and a base of the anchor is typically bolted to the vehicle floor pan. Each cable must be arranged in a suitable orientation to the buckle. The anchor, which secures the cable, must be arranged in a suitable orientation to the cables, the buckle and to the floor of the vehicle.
There are many types and configurations of seat belt anchors used with vehicle seat belt systems. Typically, such anchors are formed with one or two recesses defined by walls and carried by a base. Although an anchor has one (single) or two (double) recesses, depending on whether one or two cables are used, currently, double cables are preferred to attach to seat belt buckle assemblies.
Seat belt anchors, constructed and arranged to receive two cables (double anchors) are currently prepared by a forging method. Applicants' forged double anchor is a typical example. The forged double anchor is formed from a blank by forging two shanks and a base from a blank. Recesses are then drilled in the shanks and a hole for receiving a bolt is punched in the base. Machining is required to remove excess material and achieve a smooth surface.
The forging process is relatively labor extensive in that it requires a number of steps, the forging, the drilling and the machining. In performing these steps, a significant amount of material is wasted. Typically, 50 percent or more of the material of the blank is wasted when forming the double anchor part in a forging process. Further, the shape and configuration of the final product is limited due to the inherent limitations of the forging process. Thus, the cables are often bent between the anchor and buckle to achieve a proper orientation between the buckle, cable and anchor.
There are also single cable anchors and cable connectors which each have a recess in a tubular shank carried by a flat base. A single cable is secured in the recess of the single cable anchors or connectors. Single cable anchors and connectors are formed by a process which includes cold headed extrusion to form a single recess in one end of a blank.
There is a need to provide a method to form a double seat belt anchor which is economical, requires less steps than current methods, and minimizes material waste. There is also a need to provide a double seat belt anchor which has two recesses, defined by walls and carried by a base, in parallel spaced apart relation; which has the recesses disposed at a desired angle with respect to a base and at a desired orientation with respect to a pair of cables to be received in the recesses; and which is constructed and arranged so as to be formable by a process which is economical.